Hot off the press from NAB is the announcement that the Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q will be able to work directly with the FS700 to record 4K and 2K with from the FS700 with 2K raw going up to 240fps. This is really great news. I’ll be posting a video blog about this later in the week. for now here is an extract from the official press release
LAS VEGAS, NAB Booth C11001, April 8, 2013 — Sony is announcing that its affordable 4K production camcorder, the NEX-FS700, will support a direct connection to Convergent Design’s new Odyssey7Q. The combination will allow recording of 2K RAW at up to 240 frames per second, with 4K video enabled via a single 3G connection.
The NEX-FS700 can achieve a high frame rate of up to 240 fps recording in 2K RAW while recording to the Odyssey 7Q. The 240 content fps is recording continuously, without windowing the imager or line doubling the signal. This assures full resolution at all times without windowing artifacts.
The direct connection to Convergent Design’s new Odyssey 7Q complements Sony’s own newly announced recording solution using the AXS-R5 RAW recorder and the new HXR-IFR5 interface unit. Now professional users have even more flexibility in choosing a workflow that meets their needs for today’s diverse client requirements.
“The addition of RAW and 4K recording unleashes the full power of the FS700’s state of the art 4K imager, vastly increasing the potential applications for the camcorder and resulting in tremendous flexibility in post-production,” said Peter Crithary, marketing manager for large sensor technology at Sony Electronics. “Now, interoperability with the exciting Odyssey 7Q in addition to our own recording technology gives users a wide range of cost effective choices when working with diverse workflows.”
Hi Alister,
I really enjoy your blog and work. Perhaps you could help me with some clarification. I understand that the 4K recorded out of the FS700 to the Odyssey will be compressed, and NOT compressed RAW. On the other hand, I have read that the AXS-RR HXR-IFR5 combination will yield not only 4K RAW up to 60 fps, but a 120 FPS burst mode for 4 seconds. I found this information at the following links:
http://xdcam.com.au/modules/news/article.php?storyid=9714
http://blog.videopro.com.au/new-sony-hxrifr5-4k-recording-solution/
Can you confirm that the Sony solution is the only way to record 4K RAW with the camera? I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Thank You,
Mo
Yes it does appear that the Sony recorder is the only way to record 4K raw. The FS700 will be able to output 4K video over 3G SDI but this will be conventional video, not raw unless you have the Sony interface unit. However I must say that while not the best, 2K raw is still a nice option to have, especially at 240fps. I might have to get an Odyssey just for that capability as my F5/R5 will only be able to do 120fps.
It’s a great shame that Sony will not allow 3rd parties access to the 4K raw stream from the FS700. The Odyssey is a much more elegant solution than the some what cumbersome IFR5/R5 combo. Still, if Convergent design can pull of good quality compressed 4K from the FS700 it would still be very nice I’m sure and the file sizes should be quite manageable.
Thanks for confirming that Alister!
Thanks for the information Alister. I have been enjoying my FS700, but have been frustrated with the false rumours that have been circulated about the impending 4K firmware updates and vagueness of what the solutions will be. The Sony solution of the XR-IFR5 Interface Unit and the AXS-R51 external RAW recorder with the new AXS memory cards is a fairly expensive one. I look forward to your upcoming blog on the Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q as this will probably be my preferred choice due to affordability. Keep up the good work – you are such a valuable source of good, honest and insightful information.
I’m on the list for an Odyssey to review as soon as they become available. If you want 4K raw on the Odyssey, then ask Sony. Convergent Design could do it if Sony would allow it, but sadly Sony won’t currently allow it. Perhaps if we all pester Sony eventually they will relent and allow CD to record 4K raw.